This is very much a layering collection to me. You don't necessarily have to use a dark background - they do pair well with fine cat eyes as the base, too. It takes a minute to find the best uses because they are an odd mix of transparent tints but with very chunky glitter and/or magnetic particles. Each one has a mix of sizes and each one is different in terms of what might be the cat eye component. There are some amazing intense pinks that I'm in love with and I keep reaching for these even just for little accents on nails. I'll include some pics that show one coat on clear to give you an idea of the tint transparency. Keep in mind that because there are larger particles in these, on lighter backgrounds you will get a black speckled effect to some extent. But those large particles also get you some very intense flash and glow!